Quarterback Nolan Baldwin (No. 5), Emmany Godinez (No. 9) and Chuy Nunes (No. 52) finish pre-game warm-ups prior to dominating Orcutt Academy 60-28 Friday, Aug. 31, at Coast Union. The intensity on their faces was later reflected through their high level of production in the game. PHOTO BY MERLE BASSETT

Quarterback Nolan Baldwin (No. 5), Emmany Godinez (No. 9) and Chuy Nunes (No. 52) finish pre-game warm-ups prior to dominating Orcutt Academy 60-28 Friday, Aug. 31, at Coast Union. The intensity on their faces was later reflected through their high level of production in the game. PHOTO BY MERLE BASSETT

Broncos overpower Orcutt Academy, 60-28

As that big, bright, bountiful full moon appeared above the Coast Union football field Friday night, Aug. 31—seeming to provide a cosmic halo over the Broncos’ 60-28 bulldozing of Orcutt Academy—a reporter was reminded that the next “blue moon” (two full moons in the same month) won’t be seen until July 2015.

Given the smart, well-coached, near-faultless football that fans witnessed Friday night, it won’t take that long before the Broncos play that efficiently again. Look for this energized team to shine again at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at CUHS, when Faith Christian High School comes to town.

Head coach Chuck Garcia said, “We knew they were going to have a hard time stopping us and we executed really well. In the first 16 minutes of the game we blocked a punt, intercepted a pass for a touchdown and we kept on going from there.”

The sizable stadium crowd witnessed a Broncos’ offensive strategy that scored 30 points in the first quarter and also caused a bit of confusion in the defense. Coast Union broke the huddle and hustled to the line of scrimmage, snapping the ball quickly.

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“We want to catch them moving around defensively — it makes it hard for them to line up,” Garcia explained. The coach noted that one of the officials “actually tried to slow us down. He stood by the ball,” and wouldn’t let the play start as quickly as the Broncos wanted.

Garcia talked to that official at halftime, telling him that this was his team’s perfectly legal strategy “and you need to get out of the way so we can play football…you don’t dictate the tempo, we do.”

Quarterback Nolan Baldwin directed the team effectively and efficiently with his quick feet, his accurate arm, and he scored two touchdowns — the last on a speedy sprint around the left end, beating two defenders who were just a smidgen slower than Baldwin.

“We’ve been ready for this since the end of last season,” Baldwin explained. Not only were the players ready psychologically and in terms of preparedness due to quality practice sessions

—which Baldwin calls “fastpaced”— but also a number of Broncos beefed up their musculature by making regular visits to the Coast Union weight room over the off-season.

Those hours in the weight room “helped a lot,” Baldwin explained, mentioning in particular the extra strength that Alex Bautista gained through his weight-training activities.

Bautista made the most outstanding tackle of the game. He also knocked an Orcutt ball carrier back several yards when the Spartan runner only needed a half of a yard for a first down.

Bautista and Baldwin each made 5-1/2 tackles; freshman Lane Sutherland led all Broncos with 6-1/3 tackles; Luis De Alba and Dylan Vialpando each chipped in with 4-1/2 tackles. Chuy Nunez made four tackles, Grant Magnuson made 3-1/2, and Michel Gonzales had three tackles.

In addition to Baldwin’s two touchdowns, Austin Eide and Emmany Godinez each had two while Tommy Howard and Luis De Alba each added one TD.

Unofficially Baldwin rushed for 80 yards (including four 2-point conversions); Eide picked up 51 yards; Godinez had 100 yards receiving and rushing; and Juan Leonardo had 27 yards on the ground. In total the team rushed for 297 yards and gained 167 yards through the air.

Coach Garcia said Baldwin is one of about “a half dozen guys” on the team that the program is “revolving around. He doesn’t say anything—he just goes out and plays hard.”